City of Orphans

One of the most important things when interpreting songs by The Classic Crime is to pay attention not only to the lyrics themselves, but also to both the band's background and their tendency to use an entire progression of songs in an album to communicate a theme. The fact that "City of Orphans" is speaking of a specific culture within Seattle, the homeland of TCC, is crucial to properly understanding the theme. "Capitol hill" does not refer to the government, being a trendy neighborhood in Seattle. "The Streamline" and the "Broadway Grill" contain greater insight into the perspective of TCC and add an immensely realistic component to the song as a whole. Much of the themes discussed in this album involve living a life apart from God while still claiming to be a loyal Christ-follower. Tracks one through eight are primarily concerned with this life apart from God, with the following three tracks discussing the band itself in a more personal manner. "City of Orphans" is a turning point that leads back into the themes communicated more directly in the first eight tracks and is, to some degree, the climax of the entire album. "City of Orphans" contains intense language that creates this unique mood of desperation and hopelessness, which leads into the final track, the resolution of the album, where it is shown that there is a possibility of returning to God. Bearing in mind the order of songs in Phoenix, it can be seen that "City of Orphans" is meant to show this state of hopelessness and despair but also proves that there is a way to escape this prison by finding God. The lyrics themselves are fairly easy to interpret and communicate much of the content I mentioned in the previous paragraphs. In the first two verses, the use of specific characters, who have very plain names and relatable desires, and places, which could be recognized by Seattle residents or members of the culture the song discusses, gives the song a feel of being told by a narrator who personally knows these people and is later shown to be this collective of "orphans." The point of view shift in the bridges allows this culture of lost, fumbling people to be understood more extensively. This also differs greatly from the first verses, in that they discussed two characters in an immensely personal manner, while the bridge is narrated by a collective. Altogether "City of Orphans" shows a lost culture apart from God, the members of which search for truth in all the wrong places and pretend to be happy in a manner that is utterly heartbreaking. The Classic Crime, along with the pessimism of "City of Orphans," offers themes of hope in the final track "I Will Wait," explaining that, even for those as lost as the citizens of this city of hopelessness, there is still hope for salvation.